Spoke to ESPN’s Desmond Howard today during a conference call and wanted to pass along some of the things he had to say. Howard lives not far from UM’s campus and is allowed to view practices and scrimmages – all other media are banned — which gives him insight on the Hurricanes that the rest of us don’t have.
On what might keep the Hurricanes from having a successful season: “I want to look at their linebackers. There linebackers are going to be key. [Colin McCarthy] has been playing with injuries, this is a big year for him. If he is able to stay healthy, I want to see what he can do against Ohio State, Pitt, Clemson, Florida State – those type of teams. Especially teams that are committed to running the ball. And then you have [Sean] Spence. This kid Spence is probably their most active linebacker… but he’s a little undersized. Then behind them, they don’t really have anything that you hang your hat on. So those guys can’t really be rotating on any kind of regular basis. They don’t have the depth to sustain a high level of play against formidable opponents. So if there’s an Achilles/ heel it will probably come defensively and probably in that linebacking corps.”

ESPN college football analyst Desmond Howard won the Heisman Trophy in 1991.

On UM’s receivers, who may be the best group since Santana Moss, Reggie Wayne and Andre Johnson were on the same roster in 2000: “They have talent in the receiving corps, there’s no doubt about that. They’re more mature now, they have a lot more experience than last year. They’re still expecting big things out of Aldarius Johnson. He’s a guy with tremendous talent. LaRon Byrd wears Michael Irvin’s old number so it tells you what they think of him. And Benjamin, he’s the guy that can stretch the field. The sky’s the limit for what they can do on the field if they decide to use them a lot.

“I don’t know how many opportunities the receiving corps is going to have, but when they do have those oppportunities, they’re going to have to step up and make big plays. When you look at the first five games, they’re going to have an opportunity against some nationally ranked opponents to go out there and show what they can do. When you want to compare them against receivers in the past, in my estimation it’s not just what you do, but who you do it against and they’re going to have plenty opportunities to do it against big time teams.”

On UM freshman running back Storm Johnson: “I went up to the scrimmage last week and for a true freshman – he’s one of the most impressive true freshmen I’ve seen in a long time. He can get out there and get it done.”Howard says depth may keep the Hurricanes from being a great team this season: “You look at it, there first five games – it’s a tremendously difficult schedule. You have to have some type of depth to be able to weather that type of schedule. Their starters can play with anyone in the country. They’re going to have to stay healthy because I don’t think they have the depth that you need to win a conference championship especially if they lose key players. The name of the game for the Miami Hurricanes is to stay healthy.”

On All-ACC cornerback Brandon Harris: “They have a shutdown corner in Brandon Harris. He’s a legitimate guy who can take away a side of the field and lock down one receiver.”

On defensive end Allen Bailey: “He’s a guy that in Week 2 in Columbus, I want to see what he’s made of….. On the defensive line, they say this group is as talented as the group they had in ’02 and ’03, but I have yet to see it. I want to see it on the field. I think Allen Bailey is a guy who we talk on a consistent basis down here about just how strong and physical he is, how he can dominate offensive linemen. But until you do it against Ohio State on Sept. 11 or you go up to Pitt and you shut down a Dion Lewis, I think it’s just talk right now.”

Howard seemed to indicate that quarterback Jacory Harris’ surgically-repaired thumb might not be completely healed. In response to a question about UM’s prospects this season, Howard said: “….you look at Jacory Harris – he’s a fantastic quarterback. He struggled late in the season because he had the thumb injury. But at this point, they say it’s much better. Not 100 percent right now, but by the time they travel to Columbus to play Ohio State they expect him to be 100 percent.” I can only assume that the “they” Howard refers to is UM’s coaching staff.